The Art of Substitution
by the elsinatr
Summary: When Naruto first saw Sai, he knew that he hated him. But after Sasuke slips once again from Team 7's grasp, Naruto loses his grudge. He knows that Sai is no Sasuke. Then why does he still see Sasuke in Sai? Kaka/Saku, Sai/Naru, slight Naru/Hina.


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

_A/N.: This is my first Naruto/Sai fic, I know there isn't a lot of them, but to ease some anxiety, I put in a hetero couple. I'm also changing some things, I'm not following the Naruto plot. That's why they call it fanfiction! lol._

Summary: When Naruto first saw Sai, he knew that he hated him. But after Sasuke slips once again from Team 7's grasp, Naruto loses his grudge. He knows that Sai is no Sasuke. Then why does he still see Sasuke in Sai? Kaka/Saku, Sai/Naru, slight Naru/Hina. Darker!Naruto, Mature!Naruto

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The Art of Substitution

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**Chapter 1 : Calm Before The Storm**

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Evening had fallen on Konohagakure, the horizon just a soft orange glow in the distance. The mere scenery gave Naruto a sense of deja vu. Even as he stared at the beautiful sunset from his balcony window, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

It had been three years since he left Konoha to train with Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. The man was about as professional and serious as him. However, Jiraiya was good at understanding others, which was one of the reasons the sannin would go on spy missions, the reason being that he had an uncanny way of finding information. Naruto knew that Jiraiya had gone through the same pain as he did, and for that Naruto was grateful Jiraiya had trained him. If anything was bothering him, he knew who to turn to, other than Kakashi and Sakura.

But Jiraiya had gone out on a mission the day after Naruto rescued Gaara, and the blonde shinobi hadn't heard from him as of yet. Naruto sighed, pressing his head against the windowpane. He knew the reason behind his moodiness and nostalgia all too well. He never really felt like this when he was younger. There was no reason to in those days. It was so simple back then: training, ramen and reaching his goal of Hokage.

Then Sasuke left, and Naruto didn't know what to do. For the first time in his life, he had friends, adults to look up to and people who would help him in times of trouble. Sasuke was like a brother to him in many ways. To have someone that close taken away from him was simply too much. He had trained with the Toad Sage in order to become strong enough to bring Sasuke back home.

Lady Tsunade hadn't asked Team 7 to go on any missions, the reason being that Kakashi was still in the hospital. Naruto visited frequently; Kakashi would sometimes go crazy if he didn't have anyone visiting him. The silver-haired jonin hated hospitals with a passion, something that he and Naruto had in common. They both needed to get out and lose some steam. Hospitals were a haven for thinking and reminiscing, a dangerous thing to do in both their cases.

Naruto lifted his head and saw that it was already dark. The stars had come out, along with the moon, sentinels of the night. He rubbed his face wearily; he was in no mood for sleeping. Grabbing his new black and orange coat, he walked towards his bedside table and snatched his keys. He then walked out of his apartment, closing the door slowly behind him.

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Sakura rubbed her eyes feverishly of any sleepiness. She was once again working the nighttime shift at the hospital, something she would have declined to do three years ago. Carrying the tray of medical supplies she strode towards the room of the next patient on her list: Hatake Kakashi.

If there was anything Sakura didn't like, it was when a shinobi would tire themselves out till they couldn't even move. Of course, being the master of perfect chakra control, Sakura knew her limits and stayed within her boundaries. She just wished that others would at least consider treating their body with respect.

She knew that it was almost nine and Kakashi was probably asleep as usual, so she quietly opened the door, careful not to wake him up. Balancing the tray in her hands, she placed it on the side of his bed, not noticing that the copy-cat ninja's eyes were wide open. "Sakura?"

Whirling around, Sakura gasped with wide eyes, placing a hand on her heart to calm herself. "Kakashi-sensei, I didn't know you were awake." She quickly busied herself with fixing the IVs around his bed. Kakashi watched her amusedly for a while, then shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Why are you working so late, Sakura?" Kakashi asked, putting his hands behind his head. Sakura turned pink; to others, this would be a casual attempt at conversation, but Sakura knew better. This was turning personal. "I think you know, Kakashi-sensei." the kunoichi said tersely, adding powders to the IV. Kakashi continued to watch her for a few minutes. Sakura didn't talk again for a few minutes, but continued to hover around him, making sure nothing was out of order.

Kakashi suddenly sat up, startling Sakura again. "How is everything, Sakura? We rarely talk." He sounded so lonely, Sakura felt her lips twitch upwards. 'Trust sensei to sense that something's wrong,' she thought. "Are you doing well on your own?" he asked.

Sakura gulped, looking anywhere but at him. "I...I'm doing fine, Kakashi." she said brusquely. She turned around to fix her medic supplies, the back of her neck prickling. She knew Kakashi was staring at her. "Sakura..." The pink-haired girl in question froze, hearing the sternness in her former sensei's voice. "Come here, please."

Her temper was starting to get the best of her. She walked towards the bed, a big frown on her face. "What now, Kakashi?"

"You're not calling me sensei!" Kakashi said brightly. Sakura turned a deep scarlet from embarrassment and anger. "Go to sleep _sensei_, the drugs are getting to you." she grumbled. Before she could turn around to finish her work, Kakashi spoke again. "You didn't answer my question, Sakura," he said comfortably, the total opposite of what Sakura was feeling at that moment.

"Which one?" Sakura said, making sure her tone was light. Inside she was furious.

"Sakura," Kakashi began, "don't cut me out of your life. We're on the same team. I was your sensei, although Naruto says that I'm still your guys' sensei." He allowed himself an eye crinkle, "I know I wasn't a big part of your life before, but I want it to change. You've been growing right in front of my eyes and I feel like you're slipping away from Naruto and I."

For the silver-haired ninja, this was a huge speech on his behalf. Sakura could feel her eyes prickling, she blinked it away. "Thank you, Kakashi." she said quietly, gratitude filling her insides. She hadn't really expected a heart-to-heart with Kakashi-sensei, a hardened ninja who had experienced war first-hand. It was nice, but it just felt like a whole new territory she had stepped across.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, interrupting her thoughts, "do you know where Shizune put my Icha Icha book?"

Sakura could feel a nerve tick near her eyebrow. "Why would _Shizune_ have your book, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Maybe she wanted to pick up a few pointers for Gen-" Sakura whacked him on the head with her tray, walked to the other side of the room, and banged the door shut, Kakashi chuckling the whole time.

As she walked down the hallway, she couldn't help but wear an ear-splitting grin. Maybe nighttime shifts wouldn't be so bad.

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With a flourishing stroke of the brush, Sai completed his masterpiece. He put the brush down and moved away to see how it had turned out. The painting was a picture of the scenery outside his window. Why he chose to paint it, he didn't really know. He just liked the view, to him it was aesthetically pleasing. As an artist, he often looked around him to gain inspiration.

Sai looked at the painting, trying to think of a name for it. He gave up and took a glance at his clock; it was nearly ten. He knew he couldn't stay up late much longer, he was expected at the Hokage office at nine in the morning. Setting the painting in the corner, he went straight to his washroom. Before he could open the door, he felt a familiar presence. He spun around, grabbing his katana.

It was one of the ANBU who was in his apartment, deflecting his attack with a katana of his own. "Nice to see you on your toes. A ninja must always be prepared." The ANBU put his katana in its holster. Sai looked at him blankly. The ANBU had a mission scroll in his hand.

He gave it to Sai, who calmly took it from him. "You'll be given a mission scroll just like this from the Hokage. This one is different however. Destroy it once you have read it." Sai nodded silently.

"For Konoha!" The ANBU said, making a gesture in the air. Sai did a gesture of his own, following the ANBU's movements.

And just like that, the ANBU disappeared.

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The streets at night were empty, save for a few partygoers. Naruto trudged on, kicking the gravel every now and then. He knew that Sakura and Kakashi were still in the hospital, but he didn't want to disturb any of them. He didn't feel like going to Ichiraku, which was amazing, even for him. Knowing full well that Teuchi and Ayame would probably ask questions, he purposely skipped the noodle house, walking towards a different part of Konoha.

The casinos were open, even in the nighttime. People walked in and out of it. Naruto had never been in this part of Konoha, but he didn't feel like going anywhere else. A drunkard staggered slightly out of a bar, bumping into him. He ignored him and continued to walk. The drunkard keeled over, face down in the dirt, giggling like crazy. Naruto looked back, a bit disgusted. He suddenly bumped into a scantily clad girl, who looked at him like he was crazy. Naruto stepped back and walked in a completely different direction.

"Naruto!" Naruto looked around for the person who said his name. It was Shikamaru. He was leaning on a pillar next to a bar, sake in his hand. He smiled warmly at him. "How are you?"

"Fine," Naruto said, looking around. He never knew that Shikamaru was a night prowler, but then, in a village of ninjas, you sometimes needed to loosen up. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, I'm holding up," the lazy ninja said nonchalantly, taking a swig of his drink and staring off into the distance. Naruto was puzzled; what could make Shikamaru this forlorn? Shikamaru changed the subject quickly. "Come inside, Naruto, everyone else is here."

"Everyone?" echoed Naruto, as Shikamaru steered him into the bar. "What do you mean by 'everyone'?" He looked around; the bar was huge. Naruto could tell the bar was a haven for ninjas. Shikamaru grabbed his elbow and led him towards the drinks table. Kiba was there without Akamaru, draining his glass. Naruto saw Neji, looking as though he hadn't slept in days. His normal brown hair, tied in a ponytail, was messy, strands sticking out. Naruto groaned, seeing who else was there; Mitarashi Anko had just stepped on the dance floor, staggering around.

Naruto sat on a bar stool and looked at Shikamaru, who had just ordered him a glass of sake. "I don't drink, Shikamaru." he frowned at him. Shikamaru shook his head, taking another sip of sake. "You will soon enough." The bartender put the sake on the table. Shikamaru pushed it towards Naruto. "Here, drink up."

"Are you trying to corrupt me?" Naruto said, feeling annoyed. He didn't touch the glass. The ninja grinned. "Try something new, Naruto."

Naruto looked at the glass of sake. For some reason, it looked tempting. He scowled; Lady Tsunade was an alcoholic, it was easy to see how she liked her sake. Reaching out, he took the glass and took a sip. Shikamaru grinned evilly, and tipped the whole glass onto Naruto.

The foxy ninja spluttered and glared at Shikamaru, who was looking innocent. "I think I'm going home." he said, a note of finality in his voice. Shikamaru stood up, swaying a little. "No hard feelings, Naruto?" he said hopefully.

Naruto looked back at him. "Perhaps." He stepped out of the pub and into the street.

There was no denying it, someone on his family probably loved the drink. Naruto smirked bitterly, his thoughts getting more and more negative. Meeting Shikamaru tonight was the worst thing to do. He passed the noodle house once again, his steps getting heavier by the minute.

He reached his apartment faster than he would have liked. Opening the door, he put his keys on the cabinet, shook off his shoes and plopped on his new couch. Picking up the remote to the TV he had bought at a garage sale, he surfed through the channels. There was nothing on.

Taking off his jacket, he went to the washroom and brushed away the lingering traces of sake. It wasn't much, but Naruto could still smell it, the tantalizing odor of alcohol. He took off his shirt and pants, clad only in his underwear. Weary beyond belief, he threw himself on his bed, and pulled the covers towards him. He wanted a good night sleep for tomorrow.

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A/N.: I'm not sure people will like this one, so if no one reviews this I will eliminate this story. So if you like it, Read and Review!


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